40
Nkwanda Jah
Story by: Voleer Thomas
N
kwanda Jah, Executive Director for the Cultural Arts Coalition, a non-profit organization housed at the Wilhelmina Johnson Center on 321 NW 10th Street in Gainesville, is grateful for her community/village, which for 40 years this coming Spring has supported the Cultural Arts Coalition. The organization, which launched in 1979 and became a non-profit in 1983, strives to educate and empower the community by establishing and maintaining communityoriented programs through arts, culture, and social awareness. Nkwanda, who 30 years ago changed her birth name, Mary Ann, to Nkwanda Jah, which means “rebirth of the spirit of God,” works in community activism and program development. As a social entrepreneur, her priorities are the environment, youth development, and cultural and ethnic heritage. She makes sure to always have a plan and works to build trust and be committed, passionate, and humble. She said that she sometimes faces challenges, specifically funding. Nkwanda, who is from Grandin, Florida, in Putnam County, shared that the Cultural Arts Coalition
provides many programs. Here are a few:
Annual 5th Avenue Arts Festival
It celebrates black culture through the arts and 40th anniversary will happen April 19-21, 2019.
enviromental ambassadors A five-week summer program that teaches teens to protect the environment and gain job training skills.
girl power Helps pre-teen girls build strong minds and bodies through enriching experiences.
after-school science program Through science and math, students learn to be good stewards of their environment.
arts in public schools Delivers presentations about African and African-American art and culture in schools.
Nkwanda employs several strategies to be successful in her community activism. “I have had to combine grants, donations, memberships,” Nkwanda said. But she is grateful for the support she has received thus far, and she is forever for the community/village that provided resources to the Cultural Arts Coalition when they were in need.
nkwanda jah
supplying the community with beneficial cultural programs
